Sunday, April 23, 2006
Listening Between the Lines
Every so often I engage in a simple personal activity just for my own amusement. I sit very still and…listen. I count the number of different sounds I can identify. For instance, if I sit motionless at my keyboard right now, this is what I hear:
My computer humming and scratching.
The clacking of my husband at his computer keyboard in the next room
The squeaking and shifting of his office chair
The furnace blowing
My son rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen downstairs
The wind howling outside my window
A vehicle driving by
I would not consciously acknowledge any of those sounds but for my little experiment. Our brains register lots of sounds all the time, and many of them we have learned to tune out. We don’t pay any attention to them, or even notice that those sounds are there, except when we are very still and quiet ourselves, or when we purposefully listen, expecting to hear something.
Listening, though, demands more than simply hearing. Hearing is mere recognition that the sound exists—listening utilizes knowledge and experience to give meaning and context to a sound or a spoken word. It is a complex skill rather than an innate sense.
Listening can occur even when no sound is present. This kind of listening necessitates assimilating and connecting non-verbal cues, and “hearing” what is not written or not said by reading between the lines. Honing, and then using this advanced skill may, in almost any case, yield very clear, though inaudible, responses to questions that are posed, but seemingly remain unanswered.
Whether I send a message as a silent speaker, or whether I attempt to be the attuned listener in this wordless communication form, I keep my ears and eyes open. And if at first, I fail to hear, it may be in the long run, while pounding the pavement, and mulling over such matters, that I actually listen between the lines.
My computer humming and scratching.
The clacking of my husband at his computer keyboard in the next room
The squeaking and shifting of his office chair
The furnace blowing
My son rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen downstairs
The wind howling outside my window
A vehicle driving by
I would not consciously acknowledge any of those sounds but for my little experiment. Our brains register lots of sounds all the time, and many of them we have learned to tune out. We don’t pay any attention to them, or even notice that those sounds are there, except when we are very still and quiet ourselves, or when we purposefully listen, expecting to hear something.
Listening, though, demands more than simply hearing. Hearing is mere recognition that the sound exists—listening utilizes knowledge and experience to give meaning and context to a sound or a spoken word. It is a complex skill rather than an innate sense.
Listening can occur even when no sound is present. This kind of listening necessitates assimilating and connecting non-verbal cues, and “hearing” what is not written or not said by reading between the lines. Honing, and then using this advanced skill may, in almost any case, yield very clear, though inaudible, responses to questions that are posed, but seemingly remain unanswered.
Whether I send a message as a silent speaker, or whether I attempt to be the attuned listener in this wordless communication form, I keep my ears and eyes open. And if at first, I fail to hear, it may be in the long run, while pounding the pavement, and mulling over such matters, that I actually listen between the lines.
Comments:
<< Home
I don't think I'm very good at "assimilating and connecting non-verbal cues"... Wait, I take that back. I think I'm pretty good at understanding what's not been said with other women, but with men... hmmm. That is an even more complex skill. I haven't yet "honed" it enough!
This was a very interesting contemplation on communication, especially of the non-verbal kind. Lest the blogger read something into the fact that I have not frequently commented on this blog, I am now declaring it to be first rate writing. It is so much more interesting than a mere "stream of consciousness" recitation of the day's events. It is certainly food for thought. Oh, I should have made that comment about the last entry.
I don't think I've ever commented myself, but I've gotta tell you that I read your blog religiously!
Post a Comment
<< Home
